Borough councillors are set to vote themselves a rise in allowances which will give them at least £3,280 each.

Borough councillors are set to vote themselves a rise in allowances which will give them at least £3,280 each.

And council leader, Peter Gardiner, will see his pay from Civic Centre increase to £13,120 a year.

The changes, recommended by an external panel including the Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich Rt Rev Richard Lewis, would see the total cost of councillors' allowances increase from £119,903 a year to £239,973.

The council's deputy leader, David Ellesmere, said the review had been launched as part of the borough's modernisation programme which is expected to be formally approved on Wednesday.

The external panel had looked at what councillors are paid by other similar authorities – and at how many hours a week they devoted to the council business.

"We realise these will not be popular, but the panel looked at the work councillors do and how they are paid elsewhere – and from that point of view the proposed payments are not unreasonable," he said.

Borough councillors will still earn less than their county council colleagues – although those who are members of both authorities will receive a very healthy payment.

Labour councillors John le Grys and Keith Rawlingson, who are both on the borough's executive committee and the county council will earn £17,548 from their council work.

Liberal Democrat borough and county councillor, Inga Lockington, will earn £10,865 from her membership of both authorities.

The reports suggests that councillors be appraised and their allowances, based on the average number of hours councillors spent per month linked to a sum of £24,421 – the average wages of non-manual workers, should be reviewed regularly.